Pomona 1617 - 1618

Giovanni Giacomo Sementi rendered this drawing of Pomona sometime between 1600 and 1640, using black chalk on laid paper. Chalk is interesting stuff. It’s made from soft limestone, a sedimentary rock composed of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms. It is typically formed over millions of years under immense pressure. Sementi would have used it in stick form to sketch out the figure of Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. Look closely, and you’ll see that Sementi built up his composition through careful hatching, using the chalk on its side to create tone. The drawing may have been made in preparation for a painting; you can see him working out the drapery, and the way the goddess holds her basket of fruit. Yet the drawing has a beauty all its own. The skill required to produce such a drawing elevates this work beyond mere utility. Sementi’s art reminds us of the essential role that drawing played in the development of early modern art.